‘Tadpole’ serves out suspension

LEFT-ARM chinaman and googly bowler Dave “Tadpole” Mohammed is back in the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team. The 25-year-old spinner was yesterday named in the 13-man squad to play Jamaica in the eighth round of the Carib Beer Series regional tournament starting on Friday at Shaw Park in Tobago. Mohammed, an enigmatic player who is also an aggressive left-handed batsman was cleared to be considered for selection after serving out a two-match suspension along with solid middle-order batsman Shazam Babwah. The penalties were enforced by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board following a recommendation by the Tour Mangement Committee headed by team manager Giles Antoine and including coach Davis Williams and trainer Gerald Garcia.

Another player, opening batsman and medium-fast bowler Imran Jan has also been suspended, but indefinitely and the trio have been referred to the Cricket Board’s Disciplinary Committee who are conducting an independent inquiry into charges of misconduct against them. Their behaviour was called into question after Trinidad and Tobago’s fifth round match in the Carib Beer Series against Jamaica at Alpart. The visitors lost that match to front-runners Jamaica, a defeat which was blamed on acts of indiscipline which also involved Babwah leaving the team after learning of his father’s death in his hometown of Preysal. Jan, was dropped late last year from the Carib Beer Series squad after he refused to open the innings as instructed in the first phase of the President’s Cup regional limited overs tournament in Guyana. He was later reinstated but complained of a back injury during the Jamaica match and took  limited part in the fixture.

Mohammed also, is no stranger to controversy gaining notoriety after being charged for rape while attending the Shell Cricket Academy in St George’s Academy for which he was later acquitted. He was not selected on the President’s Cup team because of his failure to attend trials which he blamed on “domestic problems.” However Mohammed was drafted into the Carib Beer Series and has performed exceedingly well in the early stages of the competition. He most notably took seven wickets for 49 runs when Trinidad and Tobago scored a famous victory last month against defending champions Barbados at North Stars Ground in Barbados in the second round of the regional championship.

Mohammed is the only change to the TT team which beat the Windward Islands by seven wickets with a day to spare in a sensational come-from behind victory on Sunday at Guaracara Park in Pointe-a-Pierre. He replaced Rishi Bachan who is unfortunate to be dropped after giving an impressive display picking up five wickets on a perfect batting wicket. Yesterday, chairman of the National Selection Committee, Dudnath Ramkissoon said it would have been unfair not to consider Mohammed and Babwah for selection after they had served their two-match suspensions. He said Mohammed’s experience will boost the team’s chances against Jamaica this weekend in Tobago.

Ramkissoon, a former West Indies Youth captain an attractive batsman who led Presentation College of Chaguanas in the early 1970s was full of praise for the team for their win on Sunday. He said the players showed “character and spirit” and their performance augers well for the future of the team in the regional competition. “They approach was different after seeing the fast bowlers Mervyn Dillon and Richard Kelly had done their work in dismissing the Windwards for 67 in the second innings,” he said. He also complimented captain Daren Ganga, who despite poor form this season managed to steer his team to victory with a well played undefeated 38.

TEAM: Daren Ganga (captain), Lendl Simmons, Imran Khan, Ricardo Powell, Dwayne Bravo, Gregory Mahabir, Denesh Ramdin, Ricard Kelly, Reyad Emrit, Amit Jaggernauth, Dave Mohammed, Mervyn Dillon, Samuel Badree.

OFFICIALS: Giles Antoine (Manager), David Williams (Coach), and Gerald Garcia (Trainer)